Podcasts Taking Off (Again): eMarketer

Some interesting new figures have been released by eMarketer today that shows that podcasts are taking off in both traffic and revenue, and the outlook is even better again.

The general view on podcasting is that it had been passed by as video became the hot vertical, particularly as earlier iPod’s gave way to new players that supported video as well as audio.

These figures would suggest that there’s a lot of growth still to be had in the podcasting sector.

According to eMarketer, the total podcast audience in the United States was 18.5 million in 2007 and will rise to 65 million in 2012. “Active listeners” (defined as people who download more than one podcast) were 6.5 million in 2007 and expected to be 25 million in 2012.

The revenue figures will bring a smile to any VC firm with investments in the sector. Advertising in 2007 hit $165 million and is expected to grow to $435 million in 2012.

One interesting aside was eMarketer attributing the growth to podcasts being promoted by the mainstream media. What they didn’t add is that many of the top lists globally on iTunes today also have a strong presence from those very sources; while greater awareness of podcasting is growing the overall market for podcasts, the mainstream media is taking a big slice of the pie.